


Past, Present, Future

by orphan_account



Category: Smile For Me (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Pre-Canon, Swearing, im writing a lot of fix-it fics lately... HMM, kamal watch ur profanity there’s chirren here, not beta read bc i like to perish, parsley kinda a beet I MEAN BEAST but he doesn’t mean to be he’s just a botch you know, platonic but lowkey rom if u want it to be idc, pre-game, the POV switches a lot but it’s mostly from third person, yeah theyre best friends. yeah theyre lowkey crushing. KEEP SCROLLIN
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 15:50:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21412711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Yeah, they had a huge falling out in college. Yeah, they haven’t spoken to each other in years. Yeah, it’s past midnight and he’s a little bit drunk......He forgot where he was going with this.
Relationships: IF U SQUINT - Relationship, Kamal Bora/Parsley Botch, Past Parsley Botch/Martin Botch
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Past, Present, Future

It took a moment for Kamal to recognize exactly who had the audacity to coming knocking on his door at 2:34 A.M. when he had to be up for work in less than four hours. Partly because it was dark and his vision was still a little blurry from sleepiness, and partly because he hadn’t seen that face since junior year of college.

“...Parsley?”

The man in question gave a little nod of confirmation. His hair was a lot longer, to his shoulders now, and as messy as ever, with curls sticking out every which way. His eyes held the same tired bags they had carried all throughout their school time together, still cryptically glowing red without much of an explanation as to why. He hadn’t even grown much in height or weight, it seemed. The only thing that really stood out was the fact that, instead of sweats like he usually wore, he was in a fine, satin suite, complete with a black tie and everything.

Still, despite not physically changing pretty much at all in the years they’d been apart, he somehow looked a little worse for wear. Almost... Weak? Sad? Sick, maybe?

When Kamal didn’t speak again, simply blinking in utter confusion, Parsley sighed.

“Listen, I know what you’re gonna say—“

“How in the _Hell_ did you get my address?”

Parsley opened his mouth, then closed it, taken back. “—Well, okay, I was thinking more along the lines of, ‘We haven’t talked since June 5th, 1988, why are you crawling back to me now?’,” Kamal rung his hands in his t-shirt at the mention of the day of their Big Fight. “but I’ll bite. Wallus gave me your address after I told him we need to talk.”

_Goddammit, Wallus._ Always the well-meaning peacekeeper, usually the unknowing instigator. Kamal kept his feet firm on the ground, looking at Parsley up and down. Then, after a bit of tired consideration, he stepped aside.

“Come in, I guess.”

—-

Kamal had skipped over the idea of tea and went straight to the coffee pot. If they were going to ‘talk’, he needed something to keep him from falling back asleep. Maybe he could call Habit tomorrow, tell him something came up and he needed a “sick” day, AKA, a day where he could actually get some well-needed rest in. If he didn’t, he’d basically be a zombie and, god-forbid, put a novocaine shot where it wasn’t supposed to be in some poor, unsuspecting patient.

Bringing back the two mugs to the little dining table he never used, Kamal sat in the chair next to Parsley, though he made sure to leave some room between them.

“So, um. Why exactly are you here?”

Parsley immediately took the mug placed in front of him and began to down it, making Kamal cringe. It was like the man had no tastebuds, no nerves. He’d would probably eat molten rocks if there were any around their area like they were candy. It was disturbing. That was another thing that hadn’t changed, he supposed.

After drinking half, stream still rising from it, he set his mug back down, a blank expression on his face.

“Martin and I just got divorced.”

Kamal nearly spit out the small sip of his own coffee he had taken after allowing it to cool down. They had gotten _married?_ When? Where? Why hadn’t anyone told him? Parsley didn’t seem to notice his shock. That, or he was too in his own mind to notice anything around him.

Kamal’s brain struggled to form words, simply coming up with: “Oh.”

Parsley traced a finger on the bottom of the glass, as if it wasn’t way too hot to touch. “Yeah.”

This was awkward. This was really, really awkward. And weird. What did this even have to do with him?

“Uh... I’m... Sorry?”

“Save it.” 

Parsley grumbled in frustration, running his fingers through his messy locks of red hair. “I mean... You were right, okay? He’s bad news, he was and still is. I should have listened to you when you told me that. Rub it in my face or whatever.”

_Wow._ Okay, fucking _wow._ That was probably the last thing Kamal had expected him to say. The youngest of the Botch family held the same amount of pride his father did; way too high and unbreakable. To admit that someone besides him was right was unheard of.

Kamal didn’t dare say a word. There was a lump in his throat as he recalled the Big Fight that Parsley just wouldn’t stop mentioning. It had been about Martin. At first, Martin seemed like a great guy — he treated Parsley well, he was working towards his Masters degree in Interior Design and he was generally a nice addition to their little group. Kamal thought nothing but good things about him until he had tried to steal a kiss at a party. Kamal recoiled, shoved him away in disgust and ran to find Parsley immediately.

Parsley, of course, didn’t believe him. He was twenty years old, in “love” and had about thirty different kinds of alcohol in his system. The argument quickly heated into an all-out fight, the first they’d ever had, full of yelling and pure anger. It caused the party around them to stop, classmates of theirs watching with interest and disbelief. After a bit of back-and-forth between them and calling Kamal a jealous liar, Parsley stormed out, taking Martin’s hand as he did so. He didn’t notice as Martin looked back at the shaking, teary-eyed Kamal, giving him a grin that said _‘I win.’_

Kamal shook his head, closing his eyes to make the memory go back to the vault he had locked it in six years ago. By the time he came back to reality, Parsley’s coffee was gone, and he had taken Kamal’s mug straight from his hands, quickly downing it as well, probably trying to sober himself up.

Kamal cleared his throat. As much as he wanted to boast, say _‘I told you so’_ in a mocking voice, it felt like the other man was holding something back. “Is that... the only reason why you’re here?”

Parsley stared at the table in front of him, practically looking through it.

“...No.”

And then, he broke. Tears flooded into his eyes and his head was down on the table in a second, not even trying to be quiet while he sobbed.

Kamal’s eyes widened.

“O-oh, okay, it’s REALLY early or, um, REALLY late and holy shit oh fuck—“ Parsley continued to wail as Kamal scooted just a bit closer and gently put a hand on his back, patting it slowly and unsurely. “Um, t-there there...?”

The anguished cries were broken with the sound of Parsley giving a weak chuckle, voice muffled. “You’re the worst at comforting people.”

_Well, no, I’m pretty alright at comforting friends I think, they tell me I am at least, but not complete strangers._

The thought tugged on Kamal’s heartstrings and he hissed through his teeth.

“S-sorry—“

“No... No, I’m sorry.” Parsley sat back up again, wiping his eyes and sniffling. “I shouldn’t have come here. I know you probably hate me, you have every right to at least, I just...”

He set his head in his hands, trying to stop more tears from falling. Kamal noticed the rather large diamond rock still on his left ring finger. He wondered if he should point it out, but decided not to. Instead, he patiently waited, giving Parsley some time to collect his thoughts.

Parsley avoided his eyes. “I just... I needed my best friend. And. I know we aren’t that anymore, but... You were, back then. That counts, right?”

Kamal could feel a little piece of his soul breaking in half, and he trembled. It was true. Besides Wallus, Parsley was the closest friend he’d ever had, and to Parsley, Kamal was the only friend he’d ever had. They’d known each other all throughout high school and halfway through college, and, for Kamal, losing him had taken quite a toll on any semblance of happiness he had, especially to person like Martin. He never thought he’d even see Parsley again, and now...

“I don’t hate you.” Kamal finally said, as shakily and cautious as ever, gaze downcast as well. “I was... Hurt. I didn’t understand why you... reacted that way. But I don’t hate you, I never did.”

He looked up then, and saw Parsley give him a little smile, still keeping his eyes anywhere but on Kamal’s, wiping away another round of tears he couldn’t manage to stop.

“Softy.”

Kamal laughed, quietly and sadly. They fell into a silence again, with Parsley calming himself down and Kamal trying carefully to plan out how he could ask his next question. However, the more he thought about it, the more he realized there was no gentle way to say what he wanted, so he panicked and words just seemed to fall out.

“What did he do, though? To, uh, make you guys get divorced?”

Kamal cringed as soon as he heard himself, hoping it wouldn’t spark more tears or possibly another fight. However, Parsley merely clicked his tongue in annoyance, twirling a stray curl in his fingers. 

“Cheated, again. Dallas Smith, or something.” He sighed, continuing after a beat to let the words sink in. “One of his artists friends. Told him he wasn’t seeing anyone, even stopped wearing his ring. Guess I just had to actually see it to believe it.”

As much as he wanted to be, Kamal couldn’t be angry. He’d spent years silently fuming at Martin, knowing exactly who he was and what he was after. Now, all that seemed to come to him was pity for Parsley. He ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m sorry, dude.”

Parsley shook his head. “It’s fine. I don’t need him.” He sat up a little straighter. “I have my friends, my parents, my work. And I have... You?”

The last part came out rather unsure while he tapped his hand on the table as, really, Kamal could deny him forgiveness if he really wanted to. He could send him on his way and they could never speak to each other again, as they hadn’t for six years. After the Big Fight, Parsley didn’t try to spread rumors about him, or end any social status he had by telling others he was “lying”. He simply ignored him. Still, even that had taken quite a blow to his reputation, as Parsley had always been the sort of “natural leader” of their friendship, and a lot of their mutual friends ended up siding with Parsley, even if there wasn’t anything to side about. It was a dumb young adult thing, he supposed, and it wasn’t in either of their control. Kamal didn’t blame Parsley for it. Still, if he really did me want to, Kamal could still hold a grudge.

They had a lot of talking to do ahead, of course. For catching up, but also for reconciliation as well. However, this was some sort of start, and Parsley was trying. The effort was seen and appreciated.

Kamal meekly smiled at him after a moment, putting a hand on top of Parsley’s tapping one as a reassurance.

“Yeah, you do.”

For the first time that night, (morning?), Parsley met his eyes, and it was almost as if a physical weight had lifted from his shoulders. They stayed like that for a bit until Kamal felt a shy blush creeping onto his cheeks. He stood up, taking the two mugs from the table and walking to the sink. He decided he’d clean them later, because tonight had already been overwhelming enough.

Going back to the living area, he found Parsley had stood as well, almost at the door and fiddling for his keys in his pocket. He cleared his throat to get the other mans attention.

“You can, um, stay here for tonight, if you wanna.” When Parsley met him with a smirk, his cheeks burned even more, making him speed up his words. “I-I mean, it’s probably a long drive back, right? And you seem tired, so...”

Parsley tucked his keys back into his pocket, eyes half-lidded as he watched Kamal fidgeted. “What a gentleman.”

Kamal huffed in a sort of laugh, trying to get his heartbeat to slow down. He snapped out of it when Parsley started making his way to the couch. “No! Um, t-that couch sucks. It’s old and a bunch of springs are coming out of it, you sh-shouldn’t sleep on that.”

Parsley raised a brow at him, confused, and then the intention of it clicked. He couldn’t help but laugh.

Kamal snapped his head up. “Wh— Don’t laugh!! I’m looking out for the safety of your spine!!”

It only made Parsley laugh more, and Kamal groaned, pouting as he crossed his arms and waited for the fit to end. Once Parsley had caught his breath, he walked over to Kamal, putting a hand on his shoulder with a lopsided grin.

“You’re a good guy, Kamal.”

Kamal only rolled his eyes, wishing he could stop his own smile from coming to his face. Then, he yawned, and remembered that it had to be at least four in the morning by now. Great. He was definitely gonna have to call in “sick” to work tomorrow. Bye-bye, decent paycheck.

He playfully pushed Parsley back before turning and shuffling to his bedroom door, with Parsley following close behind. The room itself was dark, and almost a little creepy with how bare it was, but there were a few things that made it seem lived-in — for instance, pictures framed of him with some tall, green guy. Wait, isn’t that the weird Russian kid from his dental medicine class back in college...?

Parsley made a mental note to ask about that when he wasn’t already crawling into bed, eyes nearly closed from pure exhaustion. He climbed in next to Kamal, who had already settled into the mattress. Without much thought to it, he slung an arm over the other’s waist, pulling him in closer.

If Parsley noticed the little jolt Kamal involuntarily did, he didn’t say anything about it. It was strange at first, to be held like this by someone he assumed couldn’t stand him for all these years. Still, as Parsley began to snore softly, face squished into his shoulder, Kamal let his body relax, content. It was comfortable, like it had been when this was a normal occurrence way back then. They still had a lot of rebuilding of their relationship that needed to be done, but for now, this was nice.

Kamal fell asleep at almost 5 AM with Parsley drooling on his shoulder, and he couldn’t be happier about it.

**Author's Note:**

> fellas, is it gay to snuggle with ur college best friend who u had a fight with but now everything’s pretty much chill between y’all?


End file.
